All about bringing home baby pigs! This post is specifically for bringing your first feeder pigs onto your property, but much of this information is beneficial for your pet pigs too. These pig-raising insights are sure to help you on your way to happy, healthy animals.
Feeding Pigs
First, know that pigs become hogs once they are over 120 pounds and your finishing feed might be different than what you started with. You should decide what your pigs will eat, how much your pigs need to be fed, and where you will get their food from all before bringing home your first pigs. It is a good idea to figure out the cost of your pig’s feed, especially if the goal is to sell pork for a profit. I want to steer clear of corn and soy so I had to spend quite a bit of time searching for the feed that would work for what I wanted. In the end, I chose a feed that requires being shipped to me which was fine because this was done ahead of time.
It is recommended to feed growing feeder pigs 1 pound of feed for every month that they are old, maxing out at 5 pounds. This means my 3 month old pig needs to eat 3 pounds of feed per day multiplied by having 3 pigs totaling out to 9 pounds of feed every single day. Imagine if I didn’t get this figured out from the beginning! Another thing to note here is how you plan to store your feed. You don’t want to be running out to your barn during a rainstorm because the food isn’t secure or have hundreds of pounds of feed infested with pests.
Watering Pigs
Pigs love to play in water so similar to ducks, your pig’s water will get completely disgusting or even spilled out very quickly. Pigs can’t sweat so they use water and mud to keep cool. I can’t tell you the number of times I filled the buckets with clean water only to turn around and all of that cool fresh water is spilled on the ground. It is too hot and humid here in Texas to risk the pigs not always having access to water. My current fix while the pigs are young is to use a tire bowl. I found mine at Tractor Supply (click here) and had my husband ask Discount Tire for a discarded tire because they’re free. This bowl can’t be tipped over, even when it’s bone dry.
I plan to eventually DIY a pig waterer using drinking nipples and a 55-gallon drum strapped to a fence. The tire bowl works for now, but it’s impossible to keep the water clean. Learn from my mistake and plan how you will water your pigs before bringing them home.
Fencing & Sheltering Pigs
Realize that your fencing is probably not good enough for pigs and get this fixed ahead of time. A feeder pig doesn’t start out weighing very much, but imagine a 250-pound hog rubbing itself against a fence post. You absolutely do not want to round up several hogs who have broken through their fence. Thankfully, our perimeter fencing works for when the pigs will be heavier and we aren’t planning on ever having breeding pigs here so this part was done for me. The duck pen fence is not strong enough to keep the pigs out so I’ve had to come up with a system of feeding the pigs and ducks to keep everyone safe and happy. Some aspects of hog raising just has to be learn as you go.
A good pig shelter is simple, requiring only 3 sides so they can get out of the elements. Remember, pigs can’t sweat so they need mud and shade to prevent overheating and sunburns. Our barn faces to the south because we get freezing north winds in the winter. I prefer straw as bedding because of the superior absorbency. Straw can also be thrown in my composter or even better, used as a mulch around my large trees when it has been used past its prime.
Training Pigs
Now, I know this sounds silly for an animal you’re planning to consume in a few months time but trust me here. Pigs are built like tanks and are surprisingly quick on their feet. There is not much worse than chasing and wrestling a 350-pound hog onto your trailer. Think about how you will get your hogs loaded onto the trailer if you need to transport to the butcher. I lucked out and my breeder had already been teaching the pigs to come when she yells for them with food in hand. I’m continuing this practice while shaking their rubber scraps bowl. They’re learning each day that this one bowl is how I feed them all the good stuff such as melons, treat grains, and veggies. We’re in the habit of walking about half an acre in a little oinking train before I give them the bowl. Pigs are incredibly intelligent animals and extremely food motivated. Use these things to your advantage early on to make your future self happy.
An Important Note
Are you processing your hogs yourself or loading up and going to the butcher? Many areas require an appointment months in advance, especially if you’re hoping to have that tasty pork on the table for Thanksgiving or Christmas. You can, and maybe should depending on your area, find your butcher and make an appointment before bringing the pigs home.
Your feeder pigs are weaned and ready to be brought to their new home. Make sure you have all the feeding, watering, fencing, and sheltering plans in place before they get to you. It would be smart to also plan out how you will load hogs onto a trailer and make an appointment at the butcher. Definitely do not rely on water buckets or bowls on their own.
Here’s to happy & healthy piggies!